Method and system of providing political campaign material

ABSTRACT

A method for certification of a political website in accordance with one embodiment of the invention determines a candidate name and office (210). The method confirms that the determined name is registered to run for the office (220). The method confirms that the URL associated with the website is controlled by the determined name (230).

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Applicant claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application,60/476,558, filed Jun. 6, 2003, the entirety of which is incorporated byreference herein.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialwhich is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightswhatsoever.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an electronic format for certifying apolitical website.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Currently, political campaigns have utilized traditional media fortransmitting the message of a political candidate. Print media, radio,television, telephone and direct mail are methods primarily used toeducate the voter on a specific candidate's platform and his/hermessages, as well as to create name recognition. As Internet usageincreases in this country, more and more people have access to theInternet and the political arena. Furthermore, a good portion of thosewho have access to the Internet are educated and more likely to vote.Therefore, “e-Campaigning,” campaigning over the Internet, has becomemore common. During the 2000 primary election campaigns, allPresidential candidates had an Internet site. However, what they didwith it and how they utilized it to help them gain voters and namerecognition, as well as funding, was very poor.

However, with the advent of large scale political campaigning over theInternet, the potential for large scale political mudslinging hasincreased. Many people, hoping to capitalize on web user's confusion,name a website with a name that is confusingly similar to a web sitethat a user desires to locate. For instance, a user attempting to locateinformation about the White House might attempt to access whitehouse.comrather than whitehouse.gov. The content on whitehouse.com is unlikely toprovide the information desired by the person seeking whitehouse.gov.Other politicians or their supporters may also place inaccurate ordisparaging information regarding another candidate on a website with aconfusing name.

Other concerns of Internet users include security of privateinformation, and privacy of their information. Internet users areconcerned about unsolicited political email, and desire a level of trustwith political websites that they visit. Internet users desire a levelof trust from political websites on par with the trust they demand fromthe public servants they elect.

More information on political web concerns is found in Privacy, Securityand Trust on the Political Web, published by the Institute for PoliticsDemocracy and the Internet, written by Jonah D. Seiger, and published onMar. 21, 2003, attached herein as FIG. 1.

Therefore, there is a need for consumers to be certain that theinformation on a website is accurate and is from the desired source.Certification systems have been developed that attempt to certify thatthe website being accessed is sponsored by the desired entity, but theydo not address the particular needs of politicians, and do not complywith election law requirements.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the invention provides a method for certification of apolitical website including the step of determining a candidate name andoffice. The method further confirms that the determined name isregistered to run for the office; and confirms that the URL associatedwith the website is controlled by the determined name.

The aforementioned, and other features and advantages of the invention,will become further apparent from the following detailed description ofthe presently preferred embodiments, read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings. The detailed description and drawings are merelyillustrative of the invention rather than limiting, the scope of theinvention being defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 illustrates prior art concerns about information on politicalwebsites;

FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of a method for certification ofpolitical websites, in accordance with one aspect of the invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of a code of conduct in accordancewith one aspect of the invention; and

FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of a scoring system to allow fordifferent levels of certifications in accordance with one aspect of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY-PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates a method for certification of a political website inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention. The method 200 beginsat 210 by determining a candidate name and office. At step 220, method200 confirms that the determined name is registered to run for theoffice. At step 230, method 200 confirms that the URL associated withthe website is controlled by the determined name.

Determining a candidates name and office, as in 210, may comprise thecertification authority obtaining and/or confirming the candidate's nameand office sought. The determination may be with a computer, Internet,web or human assisted interface. In one embodiment, the interface isprovided to a user, such as campaign personnel, and the user inputs theinformation into the interface. Software may check databases todetermine if the candidate has previously been certified by theauthority, or if the campaign has a preexisting account. The softwaremay further check databases for client and office registration. Thus,for example, if George W. Bush is the candidate, the Bush campaignprovides information to the interface that George W. Bush is a candidatefor the elected office of President.

Confirming that the determined name is registered to run for office, asin step 220, comprises matching the name with candidate lists maintainedby election authorities, such as the Federal Election Commission. Afterobtaining and/or confirming the name of the candidate and the office,the certification authority confirms with the relevant electioncommission that the candidate is actually seeking office. In oneembodiment, the confirmation is conducted by comparing the obtained nameand/or office to records maintained by at least one database. Thus, ifGeorge W. Bush is running for United States President, the FederalElection Commission will list George W. Bush as a candidate for theoffice of President, and when the certification authority attempts toconfirm that George W. Bush is running for President, the records of theelection authority will match the determined name. If the candidate isnot officially running for the designated office, then the certificationauthority will not certify the website, in one embodiment, or thecertification authority may require further information prior tocertification. Other election authorities may include state, local,county or other lower governmental entities that maintain a database.

Confirming that the URL associated with the website is controlled by thedetermined name, as in 230, comprises comparing the determined name withrecords maintained by web registrars. The comparison may be performedelectronically, i.e. using the Internet or web, or with humanassistance. Thus, if George W. Bush is running for office, thecertification authority will not certify a website for George W. Bushfor which the URL is registered to another person or candidate. As knownto those of skill in the art, Internet registration authorities maintaina list of the ownership of URLs. The URL ownership is compared to theconfirmed name and/or the FEC listed name, and if the names aredifferent the certification authority will deny certification or requestfurther information.

In one embodiment, the certification authority will require furthersteps to issue a certification. For example, the certification authoritymay require that the website and/or politician adhere or swear to a codeof conduct. An exemplary code of conduct is attached as FIG. 3. In oneembodiment, the code of conduct can be displayed at the interface andrequest an input to indicate agreement to adhere to the code.

In other embodiments, the certification authority may require that thewebsite comply with federal laws. For example, the certificationauthority may require that the website comply with Section 508 of theRehabilitation Act and the Electronic and Information TechnologyAccessibility Standards. In another embodiment, the website may be HIPPAcompliant. In one embodiment, the certification authority relies on astatement from the candidate, while in other embodiments, thecertification authority relies on an inspection, electronic or human, ofthe website to ensure compliance. For example, in one embodiment, thewebsite can be scanned and compared to a keyword index of complianceterms and phrases.

In other embodiments, a scoring system is used to allow for differentlevels of certifications. An exemplary scoring system is disclosed inFIG. 4. Depending on the score attained by the website, a differentcertification may be granted. For example, a gold certification and asilver certification level are offered. The scoring is premised on thefeatures and completeness of the website. Scoring may be adjusted for aconfidence level of the candidate's identity—for example, if the URLowner is not identical with the candidate, the authority, in anembodiment, may issue a lower certification.

In other embodiments, the certification authority requires adherence toa spam, or unsolicited commercial email, code. In an exemplaryembodiment, the certification authority will require the website torefrain from the use of unsolicited commercial email. In otherembodiments, the certification authority may require that the politicianrefrain from email address “harvesting” when obtaining email addresses.In other embodiments, the certification authority requires thepolitician to only engage in “opt-in” email. In another exemplaryembodiment, the certification authority may require that the websitetake steps to reduce the incidence of multiple copies of an email beingsent to the same address. In another embodiment, the certificationauthority requires the website to adopt a code, such as the followingexemplary code:

-   -   “I will not spam or send unsolicited email to voters, visitors,        or users of my election website without attempting to seek their        permission. I will provide every effort to comply to the federal        and state laws regarding spamming. All email lists that I        collect will remain confidential and private and be utilized for        campaign purposes only.”

In other embodiments, the certification authority may also certify thatdata collected by the website is secure. In one embodiment, thissecurity is determined by adherence to a data security policy. Thislevel of security may comprise a variety of levels. In certainembodiments of the invention, the certification authority will requirethat data collected by the website is stored securely. In certainembodiments, the certification authority may require that any collecteddata is stored behind a firewall or on a server not connected to theInternet. In other embodiments, the certification authority may requirethat data types are stored in a fashion different from other data types.For example, the certification authority may require that volunteerinformation is stored separately from contribution data. In otherembodiments, the security promised by the website is tested by thecertification authority prior to issuance of the certificate. In oneembodiment, the certification authority may be run in coordination withan existing certificate provider such as, for example, Comodo orVeriSign.

In other embodiments, the certification authority requires that thewebsite and politician comply with governmental guidelines for privacy.Voting records, volunteer records, and contribution records areexemplary areas that are subject to at least minimal privacy protection.The certification authority, in one embodiment, requires that thewebsite and politician adopt a privacy policy. In one embodiment, thecertification authority may audit or test the privacy policy, while inother embodiments, the certification authority may rely upon a statementby the candidate or campaign staff.

In other embodiments, the certification authority requires that thewebsite adhere to the formalities of the election process. For example,the website is required to comply with Federal Election Commissionguidelines in one embodiment, and the website is required to comply withSection 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Electronic and InformationTechnology Accessibility Standards in another embodiment. Compliance maybe electronically monitored, or monitored by human intervention.

Another aspect of the invention provides a website seal that cannot bemanipulated at the website to be certified. Thus, after certifying thewebsite, the certification authority places a certificate on thepolitical website. In other words, the certification authority controlsthe appearance of a seal on the certified website and is able to removethe certification, or change its appearance for all future page views.Code distributed to the certified website consults with thecertification authority prior to display on a page view to ensure thatthe website maintains its certification level, and the image of the sealis served from the certification authority.

The invention disclosed herein may be embodied in a web interfaceconfigured to accept input data to perform the steps described herein.The method steps may be automated to use computer software to obtaininformation from databases connected to a network.

Furthermore, the invention may provide for real time identity assurancethrough software code to assure validity of the certificate. In someembodiments, the real time identity assurance comprises code to create apopup of a security certificate in response to a mouseover, wherein thepopup includes the date and time as well as a digital signature or otherelectronic verification, of the mouseover to assure that the identity ischecked in real time. In one embodiment, the popup is created using aJava script. In such embodiments, upon a website visitor performing amouseover over the certificate, the user's computer consults with thecertification authority to confirm that the certification remains valid,and if so, displays the popup. In the event that the certification is nolonger valid, the certification authority will either display nocertification to the user, or display a message illustrating that thecertification is no longer valid. As described herein, the termmouseover is defined as any user action, including mouseovers, butincluding clicking or other such action.

In other embodiments, where the website has announced its intention toadhere to an ethics or other code, the certification authority mayprovide a popup viewing of the code in response to a mouseover or aclick.

The invention disclosed herein may be practiced by Section 527organizations, non-profits, issue oriented groups and other similargroups.

In one embodiment, the communications between computers as describedherein are encrypted using any appropriate encryption algorithm.

While the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are presentlyconsidered to be preferred, various changes and modifications can bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thescope of the invention is indicated in the appended claims, and allchanges that come within the meaning and range of equivalents areintended to be embraced therein.

1) A method for certification of a political website, the methodcomprising: Determining a candidate name and office; Confirming that thedetermined name is registered to run for the office; and Confirming thatthe URL associated with the website is controlled by the determinedname. 2) The method of claim 1 further comprising placing acertification on the political website. 3) The method of claim 2 whereinthe certification is subject to a scoring system. 4) The method of claim2 wherein the website is unable to manipulate the certification. 5) Themethod of claim 1 further comprising: Confirming that the websiteconforms to at least one of the group consisting of a code of conduct,federal laws, an unsolicited commercial email code, and a data securitypolicy. 6) A computer readable medium storing a computer programcomprising: Computer readable code for determining a candidate name andoffice; Computer readable code for confirming that the determined nameis registered to run for the office; and Computer readable code forconfirming that the URL associated with the website is controlled by thedetermined name. 7) The medium of claim 6 further comprising computerreadable code to place a certification on the political website. 8) Themedium of claim 6 further comprising: Computer readable code to confirmthat the website conforms to at least one of the group consisting of acode of conduct, federal laws, an unsolicited commercial email code, anda data security policy.